Episode 9.1: Show Notes.
Each mother is different and every experience of loss can bring out sides of ourselves we might not have expected. No assumptions can be made about what an individual needs during a traumatic and trying time, and the space and acknowledgment of that can make all the difference to someone who is struggling. Here on the show today to talk about her daughter Addie, is Ashley Thompson. In this deep and insightful chat we get to hear all about Ashley's journey being pregnant with Addie, the issues she faced, and what happened at the hospital. Our guest also opens up about the birth of her son, and what it meant to become pregnant again after losing a child. Ashley is a mental health professional, and she relates some of her lessons and learnings to her work and talks about parts of her perspective that have shifted in the last few years. We also cover what the pandemic has meant to parents, the importance of a support network, and some of the surprising needs that Ashley had during her toughest times. Make sure to join us for part two of this conversation, in which we go further into Ashley's profession.
Key Points From This Episode:
• Ashley's background, family life, and professional history in the mental health field.
• The first time that Ashley fell pregnant and her experiences of preeclampsia.
• The period following Ashley's miscarriage; organizing the funeral, and her sister's invaluable support.
• Returning home, and how Ashley began her healing process after the loss.
• Things that Ashley would have wished for in hindsight and the gestures that helped the most.
• Differing reactions and the personal traumas that a loss brings out in a family.
• How the advent of the pandemic impacted Ashley's grieving process.
• Creating space and a sense of validation and how much this can mean to grieving mothers.
• Ashley's personal experiences of rest and blood pressure that contrast with the research.
• The biggest lessons that Ashley's daughter Addie gave her.
• What an experience of loss can do to family ties and one's perceptions of what is important.
• Change and growth are natural parts of life, and should be embraced.
Tweetables:
“Mental health is really my passion. Ending the stigma, normalizing what many of us go through and don't want to talk about.” — Ashley Thompson [0:01:32]
“Don't make harsh changes that are really abrupt, because you're just not sure on that what that person is going to need, unless you are being directly asked.” — Ashley Thompson [0:23:47]
“The body did what it was supposed to do. But psychologically, in my mind, my body failed me. I was angry with myself for that.” — Ashley Thompson [0:35:16]
“I actually went to a separate, independent clinic to do my ultrasounds to confirm my pregnancy. That's how scared I was to go back to the hospital.” — Ashley Thompson [0:35:37]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Birchwood Therapeutic Services
